**Las Vegas**: Key stakeholders at the Acumatica Summit 2025 addressed supplier relationship management and the challenges SMBs face in transitioning to cloud solutions. The discussion highlighted Acumatica’s AI-first strategy, customer success importance, and the shift away from costly traditional ERP systems like SAP.
During a recent roundtable discussion held at the Acumatica Summit 2025 in Las Vegas, key stakeholders in the enterprise resource planning (ERP) sector gravitated towards vital conversations about the dynamics of supplier relationship management (SRM), particularly in relation to small and medium businesses (SMBs). Participants highlighted the significance of collaboration between suppliers and customers, strategies for managing supply shortages, and the evolving power dynamics in supplier partnerships.
One notable participant, Michael Pearson, President of Contax, which has recently become one of Acumatica’s partners, shared insights into the shifting landscape of the ERP market for SMBs. He emphasized that traditional ERP systems, like those offered by SAP, have increasingly become unsuitable for SMBs due to high costs and a lack of alignment with the needs of smaller enterprises. “We were finding that the direction SAP was moving in was further away from servicing the SMB market,” Pearson explained. He further noted that Acumatica, as a modern, cloud-based ERP solution, is specifically tailored to meet the unique demands of SMBs, stating, “It wasn’t even close—this is the product we want to sell to our customers.”
A key topic of discussion was the challenges faced during the transition from on-premises systems to cloud-based platforms, particularly with regard to customising solutions to fit client needs. Jason Sheaffer, CEO of Crestwood Associates, pointed out the advantages of out-of-the-box functionality as a means to reduce the dependency on extensive customisations. “We try to do as much as we can out of the box,” Sheaffer remarked, adding that if customisations are necessary, their development team can effectively recreate legacy customisations within the Acumatica framework. Paul Tedford, CEO of WM Synergy, echoed this sentiment, highlighting the integration capabilities of Acumatica with independent software vendor (ISV) solutions that often meet clients’ requirements without additional customisation.
The integration of artificial intelligence (AI) within ERP systems was another focal point during the summit. Acumatica’s newly unveiled AI-first strategy prompted discussions on how suppliers can effectively sell these AI-driven solutions. Pearson expressed the need to shift the sales approach, focusing on comprehensive platform capabilities rather than isolated features. “We sell the platform, the end-to-end process capabilities, and the fact that we can configure and customize it using no-code or low-code techniques,” Pearson stated. Sheaffer further emphasized this point by underlining the necessity of showcasing tangible benefits during the sales process, illustrating how Acumatica’s AI can effectively address specific client challenges, such as margin improvements.
The concept of customer success and retention emerged as a critical theme throughout the conversations. Tedford highlighted the proactive role of customer success managers in maintaining relationships with clients. “We’ve added customer success managers who check in monthly to ensure everything is running smoothly,” Tedford said. This strategy has contributed to a remarkable 100% renewal rate, with only one exception during his tenure. Sheaffer added that rebranding client account managers as customer success managers also underscores a dedication to a proactive service approach, detailing how Crestwood conducts quarterly business reviews to align services with clients’ evolving goals.
The discussions concluded with clear implications for the ERP landscape, especially for SMBs seeking tailored cloud-based solutions. With traditional ERP providers like SAP often being financially prohibitive, the demand for modern, affordable ERP options is on the rise. Suppliers are increasingly recognising the value of maintaining strong relationships with their customers through regular engagement and customised support, thus improving retention rates.
As the integration of AI continues to shape the future of ERP systems, the focus remains on demonstrating the benefits such solutions can provide to SMBs. The potential for AI to enhance operational efficiency is contingent upon the availability of well-structured and clean data, further emphasising the collaborative efforts suppliers must undertake with their clients to realise the full capabilities of these new technologies.
Source: Noah Wire Services
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